Road Trip: Day 5 – Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs, CO

There seems to be some bad press across a few travel review sites about the Manitou Cliff Dwellings because the Anasazi, also known as the Ancient Ones or the Ancestral Puebloans, did not actually live (or build their dwellings) in the Manitou Springs, Colorado area. In fact, the Anasazi lived and roamed the Four Corners area of the United States from 1200 BC to AD 1300.

The Four Corners area of the southwest United States encompasses what is now northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado.

However, according to the history of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, they are advertised as “authentic” because the stones used to build the current, reproduced “Anasazi-style” Indian cliff dwelling were relocated from a dwelling in the Mc Elmo Canyon, in the southwest corner of Colorado near Mesa Verde.

“The process of relocating these cliff dwellings began in 1904 and was completed in 1907 when the preserve was open to the public. William Crosby, the original founder/owner of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Ruins Company, wanted to preserve and protect these dwellings from looters and relic pot-hunters. His company spent many months mapping out a blueprint of the dwellings in Mc Elmo Canyon.”

“Over a several year period, the ruins from Mc Elmo Canyon were slowly dismantled stone by stone, packaged, and finally moved by oxen out of Mc Elmo Canyon…to Cliff Canyon by horse and wagon. Crosby’s men then, following the blueprints, reassembled the dwellings in dimension and appearance as they found them, only they used a concrete mortar in 1906 as opposed to the adobe mud/clay mortar the Anasazi used.”

Established as a preserve for educational purposes, the cliff dwellings are promoted as the most accessible example of cliff dwelling architecture.

Because of the way the dwellings were reconstructed (with concrete mortar), visitors can truly explore the full-extent of the dwellings on self-guided tours.

The preserve makes it easier for visitors like us to imagine what life might have been like for the Anasazi people.

Not only did we read about the culture, but we could also view different artifacts and artwork, and experience a bit of the Anasazi communal, “apartment” house living.

We walked…

crawled…

climbed-up…

climbed-down…

ducked in and out of…

and squeezed through…

passages and various other areas in the dwellings.

This type of hands-on exploration is irreplaceable.

Thanks to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings our family could begin to imagine what life might have been like for the Anasazi of the Four Corners area of the United States.

The red sandstone that overhangs the current structure serves to protect it.

In these dwellings you will not find any “Do Not Touch” signs.

A small site, the cliff dwellings offer an impressive, tangible educational experience nonetheless.

Here Jeff and the kids are on a ledge overlooking a circular pit called a Kiva.

The Kiva was basically a subterranean community area, sometimes up to 60 feet in diameter, used by the men of the community for ceremonial, religious or celebratory purposes.

Most Kivas had to be entered through a hole in the roof. Near the center was a firepit and though there isn’t one here, we read that often there was a Sipapu (a small hole in the floor that symbolized the people’s connection to the earth).

When the kids crawled-up through the doors on the second level, they found even more rooms used for various purposes.

This room had a pole and bench arrangement used for a turkey roost.

Life was not easy for this people group. The men spent most of their days hunting for meat while the women hand-wove cloth and ground maize into flour with stones. One of the placards said that the grinding went on for hours and sometimes the men would sing to the women to provide entertainment.

The skeletons of many elderly Anasazi women, upon examination, showed signs of severe arthritis; it is thought this was caused by all the constant kneeling and grinding.

While no one knows exactly why the Anasazi built their homes in the cliffs, some archeologists suggest by doing so, they freed up more land for cultivation during a century that endured two major droughts. Others say they built in the cliffs for protection against enemies.

In addition to the actual cliff dwellings, there is an additional outdoor archaeological and natural history preserve in the park. It includes reproductions of a stone mesa-top building and an Anasazi baking oven.

The museum and a Southwestern gift shop is inside a three-story, Pueblo-style building constructed in the architectural style of the Pueblo Indians, descendants of the Anasazi.

And yes, we did shop.

The last time we were in Colorado, over 14 years ago, Jeff bought a hat.

He figured it was time for another one.

A nature walk connects the cliff dwellings to the Pueblo structure. The tree above was labeled a Ponderosa Tree. We were encouraged to smell, not taste, its bark.

It smells like vanilla.

You’d have to ask Emelie what it tastes like!

Not sure where Emelie gets her strangeness.

It appears the cliff dwellings bring out the “strange” in all of us.

The Anasazi, though best known for the ruins of their monumental cliff dwellings at places like Mesa Verde, are also a mystery because of how quickly and completely they abandoned their dwellings at the end of the 13th century.

There are several theories as to why they left all their belongings behind when they departed. Some say that severe drought destroyed their crops, causing the animals to migrate. They left everything because it was too much of a burden to take it.

Others propose they were attacked and simply had no time to gather up their belongings before fleeing.

A third group believe some type of social breakdown, including violence, warfare, and even cannibalism occurred among the Anasazi people.

Though they did leave the cliffs, they did not disappear. Today the descendants of the Anasazi, the Pueblo Indians, live in communities along the Rio Grande, in New Mexico and in Northern Arizona.

Though the villages were already abandoned by the time the Anglo explorers arrived in the 1880s, the explorers gave them the name “Cliff Dwellers” after viewing the well-preserved villages.

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings can be explored in under an hour – even if you take time to stop and read everything – and is well worth the time. We’re glad we took the time and hope to see actual cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde one day as well.

Thankfully, Emelie recharged her iPod during our lunch hour in order to capture our Manitou Cliff Dwellings experience on film. Enjoy the video here or below!

(C.A.W.U.S. = Central and Western United States)

Day 6 of our Road Trip brought rain and hail. As a result, the hike through the Garden of the Gods was out, but we did go to the Cave of the Winds (unfortunately it was a bit dark for photography). Next stop? Thermopolis, WY on our way to Yellowstone!

Heather Sanders

Hi. I’m Heather, a freelance writer living in Huntsville, a smallish town on the tail-end of the East Texas Pineywoods.
Twenty years ago, I married Jeff, the love of my life, and shortly after, we chose to “go forth and multiply.” We have three kids: Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. We homeschool. It's what we do, and it works for us.
Tired of feeling overwhelmed, we recently "faithsized" our family into a 960 square foot lake cabin in need of renovation. I write at HeatherSanders.com about faith and simplifying your desires so you can be content right here and right now

Comments

Really enjoyed this post! Great pictures and so interesting learning about the site. Makes me want to go on a road trip. Looking forward to reading more about your adventures (so I can live vicariously :))

http://lilredjo.blogspot.com/ Kim in Oklahoma

Great photos! Looks like a terrific time. I blogged on my netbook on our vacation last year. Actually, my husband and I switched off ‘taking notes’ for the duration of the trip. One would drive, the other blog…mostly to burn time.
We spent 1/2 the vacation going back and reading, and laughing at what was said/done. Good times.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

S.

Thanks so much for the tour. I really enjoyed it. Our kids live in Colorado and have been to Mesa Verde. I would love to see the cliff dwellings.

Angharad

You look like you are all having an awesome time.

Grandma Cindy

I’m SO enjoying your road trip! Thanks for taking us along with your somewhat strange family. 🙂 I would fit in very well. Lovely pictures!

http://sorensenfun.blogspot.com Katie

My toddlers are jammin’ to Emelie’s video, lol! We love the music she uses! That place looks so fun, I remember reading about cliff dwellings in school and thinking about how even that phrase “cliff dwellings” scared me to death! Looks like an adventure to me now!

http://airstreamingdreaming.blogspot.com/ Nicki

You guys are helping me with researching my families trips. We are doing the KS, NE, WY, OR, WA, MT, ND, SD. Then after a visit with relatives back near Texas we are headed out to see the Southwest. You are giving me so many good ideas and great pictures!!

http://naranjostwm.blogspot.com/ WendyN

We didn’t stop there on our trip but did Garden of the Gods instead. It looks really neat and seeing your photos and Emilene’s video makes me wish we had had the time. I did not know that the cliff dwellings had been moved there, learn something new every day! Thank you for sharing and can’t wait to see the nest post.

http://thecastlerockincook.blogspot.com/ My Kitchen in the Rockies

Hi, you were just around the corner from my house! Colorado Springs is a school field trip spot for my kids they have both enjoyed. Mesa Verde is one of our favorite sites to visit.

Theresa in Alberta

That is very amazing! Those cliff dwellings remind me of a few condo complex’s 😉 and Kennys t-shirt is just too cool.

becky balli

Mesa Verda is a MUST SEE. My (now 13 year old) son was very young when we went and he still remembers it very well. He’s asking to go back….they are very impressive! Have fun!

http://homeschoolonthecroft.blogspot.com/ Homeschool on the Croft

What a wonderful lesson! It’s true that nothing beats ‘being there’, but getting the photos and stories from someone who *was* there is a definite second best…
Fascinating stuff

Grandma Cheap Cheap

Glad you had a chance to visit my city of Colorado Springs. Isnt she lovely …………. Y’all come back real soon, ya hear? About the weather, we’re the only city where you can get four seasons in one day.

Kara S.

Really interesting. I have enjoyed experiencing your family vacation along with you.

http://www.iliveinanantbed.blogspot.com I Live in an Antbed

We love cliff dwellings! Glad ya’ll are have such a grand time! 🙂

Iris T.

My husband & I try to drive instead of flying as much as possible with our 2 girls. We take extra time to explore historical landmarks & points of interest that they learn about in school too. We have had wonderful conversations and hope that that they grow to appreciate how beautiful our country is. Your post is fun to read because it reminds me of all of our trips with our family and especially the silly pictures.

Our favorite trip was from Iowa to Portland, Oregon. In 2007, we lived in Colorado & on were on our way to Portland for my husbands new job. He was offered another job, which he took, in the midwest. It was very unexpected & sudden so the girls were very confused & disappointed. That following summer we drove to the coast, so they could see where we “almost” lived, with stops in South Dakota & Montana. In Oregon we rented a condo in Cannon Beach for a few days then spent the rest of our time in the city. Portland has the best farmer’s market & they offer cooking classes for children using the local products. A local chef was the teacher & walked the kids around the market to gather supplies for their strawberry hazelnut crepes. I recommend our route to the pacific northwest for future travels. We saw so many great places that I can’t post them all. It was the best favorite family vacation!

Grandma Cheap Cheap

Welcome to our neck of the woods. It’s said that when you live in Colorado, you get 4 seasons in one day. Y’all come back here real soon, ya hear???????

Lola

Fun! Dont’ be surprised to see snow in Yellowstone. When I was there in 1998, in the beginning of June, there was snow! It was amazing to see snow so late in the year. Continue have a great time on your trip!

Allison

It’s too bad you had to miss out on Garden of the Gods, it is amazingly beautiful. My family went when I was little and now that I am older I want to go back again and appreciate it more this time around.

http://lindabelle.wordpress.com Linda Stewart

I believe that I am enjoying your vacation as much as you guys are! I look forward to more of your adventures. Keep on having fun and thank you for sharing it with us.

Jessi

The cliff dwellings are one of our favorite places to visit!

http://anislandmom.com An Island Mom

I’ve been to Mesa Verde as a child, but the Manitou Cliff Dwellings seem much more hands-on than I remember Mesa Verde being. My kids, especially my tactile-learner middle child, would love exploring those cliffs. It looks like you had fun!

http://prairietrails.wordpress.com bdaiss

Looks like a grand adventure! And yea for hands-on history. But I must argue with you…

Ponderosa Pines do not smell like vanilla. They smell like butterscotch. It’s great fun here in the Black Hills (where 99% of our prolific tree mass is Ponderosa Pine…at least for now, dang Pine Beetle!) to encourage new visitors to “smell the trees!”. Of course they always suspect it will either be gross or you’re going to smash their face into the bark. So an even more wonderful surprise to find the lovely aroma of butterscotch. My husband and I take long hikes with the kids each spring/early summer just to stop and smell the trees. Forget the roses. : )

http://www.alittlenosh.net Amy @ A Little Nosh

This was really interesting to read. Thanks for posting!

Anna Barber

So, I sat my 12 yo son down and told him to take a look at this. We, too, homeschool and are trying to get a vision for what places we want our children to see and experience before they graduate. He asked whose blog it was and wanted to know if you guys were Amish. Perplexed and trying not to panic, “What are you talking about? Do these people remotely resemble anything you’ve ever learned about the Amish??” So, I’m wondering, how often *do* folks confuse you, OMSH, with Amish??? I love your sense of humor and think you’re a great mom/teacher!